New York Knicks franchise cornerstone Kristaps Porzingis is set to become a restricted free agent next Summer and there are several teams closely monitoring his situation with the team.
While there is a strong belief that the Knicks and Porzingis will agree to a long-term deal at season's end, The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor reports that the San Antonio Spurs have shown "significant interest" in making a play for the 23-year old star.
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Although the Spurs, like several other teams around the league, would like to add The Unicorn to their roster it would be quite a challenge for them financially. DeMar DeRozan is set to make nearly $28 million next season, LaMarcus Aldridge is due $26 million, Pau Gasol $16 million and Patty Mills $12.4 million, according to the New York Post.
Forbes reports that Porzingis' max contract would cost four years, $122.4 million, which is roughly $30.6 million per season. In order for San Antonio to be a player in any Porzingis sweepstakes, they'd need to shed about $29 million.
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The Knicks could have locked up Porzingis to a long-term deal in October, but opted to wait until July which will save $10 million in cap space and put them in stronger position to add an additional max contract.
Porzingis has not played this year, as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered last season, and there's a chance he doesn't suit up at all this season. Reports suggest he could return in later February, or early March, but with the Knicks on pace for a Top-3 pick it might be best to keep their franchise center on the sidelines until the 2019-20 campaign.
In 48 games last season, the 7'3 center earned All-Star honors for the first time while averaging a career-high 22.7 points along with 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.
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